Are you inquisitive and self-driven? Will you make a difference to our company and your colleagues around you? If the answer is yes, then we’d like to hear from you. We are looking for a passionate individual who likes creative and international work environments.

RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

Philip Morris Products S.A. is seeking talented people to join our team in the Planning, Innovation & IP unit of the Research and Development department in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The primary mission of PMI R&D is to research and develop new products with the potential to reduce the risks* of smoking-related diseases.

The main purpose of the job is:

1) Drive the Intellectual Property (IP) creation within PMI R&D and/or relating to R&D products and technologies, effective ideation, innovation creation and invention capturing as well as the assurance of the protection of PMI RRPs-related inventions,

2) Contribute to the Design Thinking process to develop a proper patent portfolio, support product innovation.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Implement the global IP strategy and practices of creativity and invention creation for PMI R&D
• Ensure the IP / engineering / technology support to the RRP product innovation / technology innovation initiatives
• Identify and capture potential inventions from within the R&D groups or resulting from collaborations with third parties, and drive the development of detailed invention disclosures
• Support the Intellectual Property team in building and maintaining portfolios of patents and other IP protections for Reduced Risk Products (RRP*) based on the defined IP Strategies
• Assess and evaluate inventions, e.g. by scoring processes, and recommend protection modes
• Support IP Strategies by providing relevant, comprehensive and focused patent evaluations. Provide feedback to different stakeholders
• Perform prior art patent and literature searches and provide feedback to, and discuss with, inventors. Identify opportunities for filing patent applications. Present preliminary invention-related IP assessment to IP Review panel
• Prepare regular summaries on organic growth of IP Portfolio for presentation to your Manager and to Senior Management
• Lead the practices of Innovation capture, e.g. related to brainstorming activities, interfaces with internal and external partners, inventorship determination
• Contribute to assess RRP third parties' patents and key technologies of potential interest, thus collaborating with the IP Officer(s)-Competitive Intelligence. Provide technical guidance in the area of expertise to other functions

To submit your application, please click on the "Apply through website" button. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• University/Engineering master degree / Ph.D. in Electronics / Microelectronics / Physics
• Substantial experience in a technical field related to Electronics / Mechanics and experience with patenting
• Technical understanding of Electronics / Microelectronics / Fluid mechanics and related technologies
• Understanding of patenting procedures and patents, as well as related legal work streams
• Substantial experience in effective teamwork and within cross-functional project organization
• Fluency in both written and spoken English is a must. A good working command in French and / or German is an asset

FIND A NEW PATH

Our company offers you a fresh perspective. Here, you will never stop exploring and discovering. We take on-the-job learning to another level, giving you every opportunity to develop your career and reach your full potential. This position will advance your experience with innovative technologies, services, and processes. Backed by a competitive salary and compensation package, you will work in a professional setting with clients and team members from all over the world.

JOIN A GLOBAL MARKET LEADER

Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) is the leading international tobacco company, with six of the world’s top 15 international brands, including the number one cigarette brand worldwide. PMI’s products are sold in more than 180 markets. In 2014, the company held an estimated 15.6% share of the total international cigarette market outside of the U.S., or 28.6% excluding the People’s Republic of China and the U.S. PMI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. For more information, see www.pmi.com

Want to discover your potential? Come join our team!

If you match our profile and you are interested in joining our dynamic team of professionals, please apply online.

A valid Swiss work permit or Swiss or EU-25/EFTA citizenship is required for this position.

* Reduced-Risk Products ("RRPs") is the term the company uses to refer to products with the potential to reduce individual risk and population harm in comparison to smoking combustible cigarettes. PMI’s RRPs are in various stages of development, and we are conducting extensive and rigorous scientific studies to determine whether we can support claims for such products of reduced exposure to harmful and potentially harmful constituents in smoke, and ultimately claims of reduced disease risk, when compared to smoking combustible cigarettes. Before making any such claims, we will need to rigorously evaluate the full set of data from the relevant scientific studies to determine whether they substantiate reduced exposure or risk. Any such claims may also be subject to government review and approval, as is the case in the USA today